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Empress Hotel fire ruled as arson

Police confirm the six-alarm fire that gutted historical building on the corner of Yonge and Gould Sts. in January was arson.

By Liem VuStaff Reporter

Mon., Feb. 7, 2011

A six-alarm fire that gutted a historical building on the corner of Yonge and Gould Sts. last month was an act of arson, police confirmed Monday.

Built in 1888, the building at 335 Yonge St. previously housed the Empress Hotel before an early morning fire on Jan. 3 broke out shortly after 4 a.m. The Salad King restaurant, popular with Ryerson students, was also caught in the blaze.

The building had been fenced off after the building’s northern wall collapsed eight months earlier, crippling six businesses.

More than 125 firefighters battled the blaze as 32 trucks lined the streets. Around 6 a.m., two firefighters had to be rescued from the burning building after falling five metres from the roof of the nearby HMV store. One firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation while the other suffered a back injury.

“It was a life-threatening situation. There were flames and smoke all around them,” said Capt. Mike Strapko at the time.

While the Ontario Fire Marshal investigated the fire, neighbours and critics cited the building’s disrepair and neglect as contributing to its demise.

Ryerson University president and vice-chancellor Sheldon Levy called the empty three-storey building “a disaster in the making.”

“This is one of the most important streets and neighbourhoods in the city . . . it’s in a part of the city where millions of people walk by. How can a building have been left fallen down for eight months?” asked Levy.

The building was owned by a numbered company administered by Noorali Lalani. The company filed a demolition request on July 2, but City Council voted in September to designate it a heritage site.

In the days following the fire, Toronto police released surveillance video of an alleyway off of Gould St.

The hazy footage, captured the morning of the fire, showed a “person of interest” wearing a dark hoodie with light-coloured jeans and a cream-coloured backpack. Police were unable to determine whether the individual was male or female, but noted that the person was headed toward the building around 1:30 a.m. and was seen leaving around 3:50 a.m.

Anyone who can identify the person is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

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